Springboks team winners and losers as Rassie Erasmus welcomes back ‘generational talent’, rewards ‘fantastic Bomb Squad star’ for All Blacks rematch
Our winners and losers from Rassie Erasmus' team seleciton for the second Test against the All Blacks.
Following Rassie Erasmus’ announcement of his Springboks team to tackle the All Blacks in Cape Town, we select our winners and losers.
The Springboks are chasing Rugby Championship glory as they face their fiercest rivals at the Cape Town Stadium for the first time and in a move to keep the squad fresh and New Zealand guessing, Erasmus has made key changes.
Notably, captain Siya Kolisi has been passed fit for the encounter after sporting a nasty facial injury after the clash at Ellis Park while the team has 19 World Cup winners in total.
Ahead of the Rugby Championship clash, here are our winners and losers from Erasmus‘ Springboks 23.
Winners
Makazole Mapimpi
Usually, when a player of Makazole Mapimpi’s quality misses out on selection, they feature in the losers section, but this week calls for celebration for the double World Cup winner.
He will be welcoming a new life to the world this week as he has been released from the squad and his wife is due to give birth any day now.
The Springboks have more than enough depth that they can be without the brilliant winger even against their old rivals and it’s a reminder that some things are bigger than rugby.
Fair play to Erasmus and his team for recognising that and given the beloved winger the chance to be there for the special moment particularly given his heartbreaking story during the Rugby World Cup. The Boks boss memorably got emotional during the Chasing the Sun documentary series when retelling the story of Mapimpi submitting images of himself to appear on the back of his jersey and not family members like the rest of his teammates as he didn’t have anyone else.
Springboks explain Makazole Mapimpi’s absence for All Blacks Test
Returning playmakers
Handre Pollard and Willie Le Roux were crucial to the Springboks’ successful 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup successes but have taken a bit of a backseat in 2024 with Erasmus pushing through the next generation.
However, the old dogs return for the clash against the mighty All Blacks and have the opportunity to lay down a marker that the while the kids have impressed, the adults are still in charge.
Erasmus has stated that it is unlikely that Le Roux will make the next Rugby World Cup but that the squad really wants him to get to 100 Test matches and on Saturday he will take a step closer to achieving that as he earns his 97th cap in Green and Gold.
Meanwhile, Pollard could very much still make the next tournament and while he has been entrusted with impact roles so far this Rugby Championship, he has the chance to cement himself as the starting number ten again after the sterling performances of rookie Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Grant Williams
Arguably the most consistent performer for the Springboks this year, Grant Williams has featured off the bench in all but one of South Africa’s Test matches this year and finally gets his opportunity in the starting XV.
It’s a thoroughly deserved chance for Williams who scored the match-winning try in Johannesburg last week. The 28-year-old has started just three of his previous 14 Test matches for the Springboks, two of which on the wing during the World Cup. His only other start at scrum-half came against Argentina last year in the Rugby Championship and his game was ended seconds into the match as he was knocked out and concussed after fielding the kick-off.
Williams is a fantastic talent and has certainly impressed this year not only with the Springboks but also in guiding the Sharks to their Challenge Cup title. While players take pride in being part of the ‘Bomb Squad’, deep down they still want to be in the starting team and for Williams, he finally gets that opportunity in his favoured position.
All Blacks legend praises ‘significant impact’ of Springboks ‘talent’
Siya Kolisi
It was touch and go for a while there as Siya Kolisi looked almost certain to miss the second Test match but alas, he has made another timely recovery to lead his country against the All Blacks.
Erasmus delayed his team announcement moving it from the usual Tuesday slot to allow time for Kolisi and others to feature against New Zealand and that’s a testament to the value he adds to the squad.
“Siya is a world-class player and captain, and he adds immense value to the team with the way he leads by example and galvanises the team when the pressure is on,” Erasmus said.
“Similarly to the call we made with Eben last week, our team policy is that if a player trains on a Monday and gets through training during the week pain-free, they can be selected for the weekend, and Siya did just that.
“Honesty from the players about whether they can play and deliver fully on what we expect from them is a key part of our team culture, so have full faith in Siya to give everything on the field.”
Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith
Meanwhile, Erasmus has opted against having a second-rower on his bench rather backing loose forwards Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith.
With the Springboks reverting to the more conventional bench set-up containing five forwards and three backs, there was always the chance that one of the two back-rowers would be sacrificed but instead, Erasmus has backed the in-form pair to provide an impact.
This would likely result in Pieter-Steph du Toit going the full 80 minutes again and switching into the second row if either Etzebeth or Ruan Nortje have emptied their tanks.
Smith is always an easy choice for the Bok coaches as he seldom lets the team down and has been incredible off the bench over the years making game-deciding impacts including last week against the All Blacks. As for Louw, he missed out on selection for the Ireland series but after a powerhouse performance off the bench against Portugal, he has featured in every single Rugby Championship game which included a telling impact last week.
Louw has been sublime with ball in hand having crossed the gain line from 73% of his 26 carries in the Championship – the highest rate of any player with 20+ carries.
Canan Moodie and Jaden Hendrikse
A finger injury ended Canan Moodie’s URC campaign with the Bulls but the flyer has returned in fine fettle in the Currie Cup and deservedly earns a recall to the Springboks squad. The brilliant back is another generational star making his mark on the international stage and while many believe that he is the long-term option at outside centre, he is still a fantastic option on the wing. He is a lethal finisher and is superb under the high ball. Arendse’s injury has flung the selection door wide open for him and provides him with the opportunity to continue his stellar rise on the international scene.
Meanwhile, scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse returns from his shoulder injury that cut his season short with the Sharks and saw him miss the start of the international season. The number nine is held in high regard by the Springboks coaching team and rightly so, he has a superb kicking and passing game while the cheeky halfback is also a threat over the ball and a strong defender. He has the ability to not only provide an impact off the bench if the Boks are trailling but also has the nous to close out the game.
Eben Etzebeth
After missing the initial team announcement last week and then being added to the bench, Eben Etzebeth was thrown into proceedings early on against New Zealand at Ellis Park and showed no signs of lacking intensity or fitness despite his injury.
Instead, he was his usual excellent self and now reclaims the starting jersey as he looks set to break Victor Matfield’s record and become the most-capped Springbok before the end of the Rugby Championship.
He draws within one of his ex-teammate this week and will equal the record against Los Pumas if he is selected for the clash in Argentina. This means that he would fittingly break the record in the return match against the South Americans on home soil.
Rassie Erasmus
Another week, another bold team selection by Rassie Erasmus as he refuses to let anyone in his squad rest on their laurels. The Boks have lost just one Test match this year, to Ireland in Durban, and that defeat came after Erasmus selected largely the same team as the one that clinched a victory in the first game.
Eager not to make the same mistake, Erasmus has rotated his team and this week it reflects seven changes and few, if any, coaches could make the same amount of alternations and still have such a quality matchday 23.
In total, 19 Rugby World Cup winners feature with the starting XV boasting 893 with a further 242 Test caps worth of experience on the bench.
Losers
Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu
Tough to call him a loser really but there are more positives to take from the team than negatives. In fact, it is rather remarkable that Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu has played in every single one of the Springboks’ Test matches this year – his rookie season in international rugby. Still, he would have loved to get another crack in the starting XV against the All Blacks.
However, a change of tack means that he will have to provide an impact from the bench which he did well against Wales, Portugal and Ireland early this year. He is a special talent.
Kurt-Lee Arendse
The sensational winger misses this weekend’s clash due to a concussion after getting his tackle technique wrong on Rieko Ioane. It’s a real shame and another injury setback for the start this year and an untimely one as we are sure that Kurt-Lee Arendse would have loved to have another shot at adding to his impressive strike rate which has seen him dot down 17 times in 20 Test matches.
Marco van Staden
Marco van Staden was initially named on the bench to tackle the All Blacks last week but when Etzebeth was declared fit, he made way for the Springboks centurion and dropped out of the matchday 23.
This week, many lined him up as the potential starter in place of Kolisi if the Bok captain was ruled out but again, a rapid recovery has denied the man affectionately known as ‘Eskom’. The livewire back-rower is bound to get another opportunity against Argentina, particularly after his strong shifts against Australia but he would have been eager to add to his two previous appearances against the All Blacks.
Near misses
As mentioned above, Erasmus has opted not to add an out-and-out lock cover on the bench despite Salmaan Moerat being available for selection and recent call-up Nico Janse Van Rensburg.
It’s a risky call from the Bok head coach who will back the likes of Du Toit, Jasper Wiese and Elrigh Louw to cover in the position if there are injuries.
Meanwhile, double World Cup-winning prop Steven Kitshoff also misses out despite scrum coach Daan Human praising his performances on return from injury for Western Province. The red-headed powerhouse is bound to return to the Bok jersey against Argentina but his snub is a testament to just how deep South Africa’s prop stocks are and how excellent the likes of Gerhard Steenekamp and Ox Nche have been this year.
Ben-Jason Dixon
Hard-working back-rower Ben-Jason Dixon admitted that he didn’t have his best game against the All Blacks after impressing in his first few Tests for the Springboks. His performance at Ellis Park has seen him drop out of the squad for the rematch in Cape Town and he can feel hard done by particularly because he could have added versatility on the bench with his ability to also cover lock.
Alas, it was not to be as he has been released for Currie Cup duty but we’d expect him to turn out several more times this year for the Springboks.
Cobus Reinach
Williams has been slamming on the selection door and his performances have resulted in Cobus Reinach dropping out of the squad as Hendrikse is also drafted in.
It’s a tough call on the experienced scrum-half who has hardly put a foot wrong for the Springboks but ultimately, Erasmus has decided to reward Williams and welcome Hendrikse back into the fold.
Aphelele Fassi
Somewhat of a horses for courses selection as Le Roux replaces the exciting Aphelele Fassi at fullback this week. With Pollard returning to the number ten jumper, Erasmus has decided that the veteran ten is better paired with his long-time teammate at fullback.
Fassi offers a more athletic option in the 15 jumper compared to the playmaking prowess of Le Roux and despite his excellent showings against Australia and New Zealand, the exciting runner misses out.
